A Play Day

We needed a day off - from what you ask? - and headed for the West Marin coast.   The Indian summers of October bring clear, sunny weather and this day was a magnificent 85 degrees with not a hint of the usual coastal fog.

It seemed like a long 20 miles of narrow two-lane from the turn off from Highway 1 at Olema to the light house at Pt. Reyes National Seashore.

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But the drive was worth it!

Passing many dairy farms on the way.

The blue of Drakes Bay and green pastures, a dramatic contrast.

One must go down 30 stories of steps to get to the lighthouse!

On the return drive we were rewarded with this herd of grazing elk!

There was a mandatory stop for a short hike at the Bear Valley trail, one of our favorites.

And a  photo opp along Tomales Bay at low tide..

And Pt. Reyes Station for a latte and walk-about town where pumpkins were on display.

Have a Happy Halloween!

Now we'll drive to Sacramento and start decommissioning the motorhome, do laundry, clean the refrigerator, pull out the suitcases, make lists, begin the packing.. and get ready for THE TRIP!

Playing House

A big plus for mobility.  We left Medford for Petaluma where we were asked begged to babysit the Bean, aka Christina, the 5 year-old granddaughter, while d-i-l Wendy goes on a 4-day business trip.  Son Norm leaves for work at 4:30 a.m. so someone needs to be in-house to get her up and ready for school, cartooned-in, breakfasted, lunch-boxed, and out the door by 8 for the walk to school, with Annie, the slightly neurotic grandlab, tagging along.  

A real house...

With a real kid...

Who happens to be our 5 year old granddaughter...

Walking to school with Papa and Annie the grandlab

The line-up outside kindergarten class.

Annie has certain issues that make her a bit anxious!

For instance, the refrigerator that hisses and threatens to eat her and her ball.  She won't go near it!

We enjoy cooking in a real kitchen...yes, Brussels sprouts again...

A son who does great bbq'd pork chops and keeps his lawn green.

And a little double bed for the two, make that 3, of us!

Real houses make me slightly neurotic and anxious.  They have high ceilings and low floors.  The bathroom is soooo far away!  The TV remote is too complicated.  We are happy to be back on-board the motorhome, getting ready for yet another adventure!  It's the mobility thing!

Birthday reunion

I share the same birthday with my beautiful sister-in-law, Gay Cawthorne, who turned 80 on October 14th.  Gay is such a remarkable, talented woman.  She is a professional singer, an accomplished artist, and devoted to her large Medford family, friends and church.

Lynda & Gay on their birthday

My nephews and nieces in Medford, OR planned a huge celebration and surprise party for her. This was truly  a grand reunion as all my kids and grandkids from Petaluma and Half Moon Bay drove up for the weekend (last).  I had not seen my family for 3 months and the cousins had not all been together for many years.

The first event and big surprise was a large family gathering Friday night for a cozy dinner for the 26 of us at a local Mexican restaurant.  Gay had an inkling that something was going on but didn't expect all of us.  We were all a bit overwhelmed, what with all the introductions (new spouses, new babies, etc.) and catching up to do.  So much fun to see all the cousins reunited!

5 yr. olds Ali & Christina..new best friends!

Clint, Kyle & Wendy, Terri

Is that Justin or Jonathan (twins) with cousin Noelle?

Great photo of Wendy & Norm

Kyle with youngest son Randy

My nephew Keith with wife Mindy

Niece Kelly holding 5 mo. old grandson Damien

There were over a hundred people in attendance at the church on Saturday.  My nephews, Kyle and Keith, had put together an incredible DVD that was a beautiful tribute to Gay and included so many emotional pictures of the past, with Gay's lovely voice singing the background music. We were all laughing and crying at the same time!

Honoring Gay, on the right

Daughter Terri, nephew Kyle, my d-i-l Wendy

Kyle later hosted a barbecue at his and Wendy's (remember, there are now two Wendy's) house for around 30!  Hot dogs, hamburgers and a great Oregon Duck's football game was enjoyed by all, with yet more photo ops!

Gay with her kids, Keith, Kelly, Kim and Kyle

And the "in-laws", Jon, Mindy and Wendy

Three days of fun, food and fellowship.  I was honored to share this special day and celebration with Gay and  our families.  We already have plans to be back next summer for Kyle and Wendy's wedding.  Let the good times roll on....

The road less traveled

After a month, we are mobile once again.  Spent two nights in Bend, Oregon.  There is a reason they have you check in at the bar.  The smell of popcorn and friendly folks beckon you to linger longer, have a drink, sit and chat.  Stay for a hamburger and karaoke, of course we did.  Thankfully, I did not sing!

Highway 20 alongside the Malheur River, eastern OR

High desert sage brush

We paid another visit to the Columbia Sportswear Factory Outlet to see if there was anything new since we were here a month ago.  Of course there was, but we only shopped in the sale racks...such restraint we showed.  The departure time for our TRIP is drawing nigh, November 3rd.  I have nothing to wear and hate to shop.  Where are my personal shoppers when I need them?

Leaving Bend we decided to take a route we've not taken before, see new sights...that's what we do.  Highway 20 is an east-west route over the Cascade Mountains, through the town of Sisters, to I-5...about a 120 miles or so.  We've done lots of mountain driving in the motorhome, towing the jeep....we're pros!  We got to the summit and there was a major fork in the road, with highway 126 going off to the left.  Most vehicles took that route for some reason.  To us, according to our map, staying on 20 seemed the better choice.

Snow-capped Cascades near Sisters

Sisters, OR

By now it's raining, foggy and the road is getting narrower.  There is not another vehicle in sight.  We pass three, yes three, caution signs warning of the impending 11 miles of steep 6% downgrade.  Too late to turn back, even if there had been a spot wide enough to turn around, which there wasn't.  So down we went, praying to the Pac brake gods, as we maneuvered (yes, I helped with my passenger-side brakes) the many S-turns, the falling rocks, the mudslides, with speeds not to exceed 20 mph.

Chains? We don't carry chains!

When I occasionally opened my eyes I did notice the beautiful fall colors of reds and yellows on the trees as they whirred past my window.  I let go of my death grip long enough to grab the camera for a few drive-by shootings!  What seemed like hours later we pulled into the sweet town of Sweet Home, and civilization.  I-5 is just ahead.  We made it...Piece of Cake!

Fall colors through the fog

Rock out-cropping...my side of the road, mister!

A blur of colors, or camera shake?

If you've read past episodes you know we're heading back to Eugene to get one of our awnings replaced, yet again.  We stayed a couple of nights boondocking at the Valley River Center by the beautiful Willamette River and trails, and a much-needed hike and run.  Then a night at Armitage Campground where we got together with friends John and Bonnie, whom we met at the Escapee's park in Chimacum, WA. this summer.

Do yourself a favor and click on this link and you will meet Laurie and Odel and one of their blogs, We Called It Home, where they rate and review campgrounds they've stayed at.  We were parked next to these folks at the Bend Elk's and found them and their blogs when just now searching for a link to Armitage.  Small world, indeed.

A celebratory week...our 4th and final

The Panys closed on their new home giving us a cause to celebrate....though one is never needed when we get together.  Chris performed his magic with our favorite duck on the rotisserie.

I made you laugh..haha!

Scrumptious

We begged for a repeat of Beth's delicious Brussels sprouts, the absolutely best.  They will definitely grace a holiday table before the year is over now that I have recipe in hand.

The best Brussels sprouts

Housewarming presents were in order for this auspicious occasion.  Howard chose a snow shovel for Chris, just in case he doesn't head south before the first snow.

Grumble, grumble....

For Beth, I thought this plaque would be appropriate for the new kitchen.

Yes, a lot!

Enough with this picture taking, let's eat!

Another wonderful evening

Chris hit the nail on the head when he said..."I don't know why we bother to eat out".  Amen to that!   And there is more....  Howard's birthday on October 2nd.  He started his day by running a 12 K.  That's about 8 miles!

Looking good!

The Panys joined us later for Howard's famous rack of lamb...yes he had to cook in spite of being the star of the day...with all the yummy trimmings.  Chris finally got the green beans he had been asking for, with a few Idaho potatoes roasted along with the lamb.  I attempted a cake using the low carb baking mix from Cliff's Country Market.  I think a bit more practice and substitutions are in order.  Beth's peaches in brandy definitely added to the palate.

The coating is rosemary, parsley, garlic & bread crumbs

Ahh, the presentation with a fine Chianti

An experiment with low carb baking!

I think a few comments on Caldwell and our month here are in order.  You've already heard about our scenic drives and our wonderful times with friends and food.  But this small town showed us a tremendous amount of hospitality.  Just to mention a few:

A call to Camping World in Boise to see if they possibly had a handle for our Dometic refrigerator resulted in the store manager personally delivering it on her way home from work...."it's right on my way"!  People actually do this?!

I desperately needed to get some clothes altered before our upcoming trip and found Alterations by Carol.  Carol invited me over to her very impressive shop located in her home, took all the measurements, and two weeks later my things were done professionally and inexpensively.

Superior Paint and Glass guided Howard step-by-step in the major stripping, sanding, and re-varnishing of our dining table.  They also matched our dashboard and chairs with the perfect vinyl paint to touch up scratches and wears.

And, as mentioned above, Cliff's Country Market, with their great selection of fresh produce, and hard-to-find low carb products.  It just so happens that Cliff is a diabetic as well as a baker and needed to seriously alter his diet, thus offering more selections for his customers.  We have been following a low carb diet for quite awhile as it works better for us, but often miss out on breads and bakery items.  Cliff's gave us lots of normally forbidden goodies!

The entire month of September brought sunny skies and temps in the 80s.  Absolutely perfect for dining al fresco and sitting out well into the balmy evenings.  And just to top off a near perfect month, Verizon decided to send us blazing 4 G internet....in Caldwell, Idaho.

Yes, we'll be back next year, probably in September, to check on Beth and Chris.  We'll also visit many of the beautiful Idaho Power campgrounds and certainly return to the Ambassador RV Park, whose monthly rate of $345 breaks down to only $11.50 per night, with a great staff and amenities.

Now we're off on a rainy day, Oct. 5th, with a busy month ahead...heading back to Oregon.